Dec 18, 2009 12 oz bottle., no bottled on or freshness date assume it's 2009 release.Rich amber with a very thin head that left equally thin lace. Lively carbonation leads to creamy smooth mouthfeel.Aroma is mostly citrus with a funky earthy undertone. Burnt caramel malt emerges as it warms. Flavor is citrusy hops with a subtle sweet malt back. Alcohol is deceptivley hidden. Watch out because it sneaks up on you. (421 characters)

22oz. brown bottle, no obvious date information but 263D10423 was inkjetted near the bottom label, and 11142721115 was inkjetted on the neck.

Hazy seared caramel. Thick, dense soft tan head of mixed size bubbles that stands steady and is topped with a fine cream-like layer. Eventually it starts to fall leaving thick pock marked lace on the glass and coming to rest at a thin collar with some dust. Minimal sluggish carbonation streams rise. Sweet brown sugar, pine sap, and prickly alcohol aromas. Piney hop resin washes across the tongue dropping sweet brown sugar bombs before fading into the back behind warm alcohol. The hops come to fill out all aspects of the flavor and when coupled with the alcohol, it attains an almost pine-sol like solvency. Not particularly smooth, the pine adds a rough-cut texture to the medium-full body. The fine carbonation eases the drinkability somewhat. The finish comes to be filled out with an almost medicinal alcohol flavor laced with pine that leaves me wondering where the brown sugar sweetness went. This was an okay beer, but I probably wont be revisiting in the future. (1,122 characters)

Shared at a 'lateral' tasting of Lagunitas strong ales, next to Hairy Eyeball and Imperial Red (we didn't get to Olde Gnarlywine).

A: Pours a reddish amber body with a cream-colored cap of fine bubbles. The foam remains for a couple of minutes and can be resurrected pretty easily when it recedes into a light cap on the brew. Some lacing / register marks down the glass. Quite nice.

S: Brown sugar (duh), hazelnut, toffee, molasses. I noticed this was considerably different from the Hairy Eyeball, which had a much stronger dark fruit component. Interesting.

T: I couldn't smell any dark fruit, but I could taste some (plums, figs) in the undercurrent of this brown-sugar driven brew. Lots of nut-forward adornment in hazelnut and toffee varieties, swimming in an oily hop resin of citrus and pine. This was hoppier than Hairy Eyeball but had less fruit for sure. The finish was malty, mostly caramel and molasses.

Pours a dark amber color, with little off white head. Sticky lacing surrounds the pint glass. A fierce race of carbonation bubbles race to the top. Strong smell of piney hops, caramel, and burnt sugar. The smell was very interesting for a Strong Ale, the smell of this one could pass for a DIPA. This one is pretty bitter. The hops are pretty forward, I also taste hints of caramel and molasses. The taste is sweet up front, but has a very bitter backbone. The alcohol is well masked for being 9.99% ABV. Mouthful was pretty heavy and carbonation was moderate. Overall the beer was different in a...different way. Nothing stood on why I loved it or hated it. Pretty average beer, glad I had a chance to try, but wouldn't care if I ever had this one again. (818 characters)

Sampled last night on 2/7/15. Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a handled-glass stein.

Brew pours a beautiful copper in color with a good 2+-finger foamy off-white head. A decent amount of ring-lacing was seen when sipped that stuck to the glass. The aroma is of burnt brown sugar and yeast for the most part. Lots going on with the taste than the nose would have you think as there is some caramel, pine, hops with a hint of dark fruits. Great taste but has a slight bitter hoppy finish that lasted a bit too long for my liking. You can't taste the alcohol at all, which is strange since it is so close to 10%! Has a great flavor but that bitter/hop finish kind of ruined it for me. Medium-bodied with perfect carbonation. (761 characters)

-Poured a translucent brown/amber with a reddish hue. 3/4 of an inch head, that was pouring out of the bottle the second I popped the cap. -Not much on the aromatic side, but small hints of flowered aroma. Small touches of alcohol, but not overpowering by any means. -Taste caramelized fruits with a hint of brown sugar. -Good mouth feel, and not heavy. -Very drinkable and didn't really notice the high ABV content. (467 characters)

Deep walnut brown with about a finger of brown head. The brown sugar (duh :) ) stands out most in the aroma, but there is also some toffee, some piney hops, and a light fruitiness. Distinct brown sugar flavor along with some fruit and a nice hoppy bite. Just a slight hint of alcohol that comes out a little more as it warms. It's pretty easy to drink given it's strength! (372 characters)

A - A reddish brown color with about a finger width of head. It leaves some nice lacing on the glass

S - It smells like a typical red with a faint hint of brown sugar after a deep inhale; nothing like I thought it would smell like.

T - Very mild taste; no alcohol bite, no sweetness from the "brown sugar" supposedly put in there. I'm kind of stumped to explain this.

M - Light body with light carbonation.

D - It's drinkable. I just wish I could get more distinct failures.

They say this was a barley wine gone wrong, and so a ton of brown sugar was added to the recipe. I get hints of the barleywine characteristics, but not much of the brown sugar. This beer confuses me. (743 characters)

T: Taste is better than aroma, but still not great. Toffee and caramel sweetness are quite strong with the same overripe pineapple and a bit of piney hops. Hip bitterness remains fairly strong, but is obviously a bit faded.

M: On the thick side with fairly strong carbonation.

O: The faded hops flavor here is hard to get past. I enjoyed the malty sweetness, but I got an overripe pineapple flavor that lingered long after swallowing the beer. (703 characters)

Pours a translucent copper with a medium-sized head of clean white foam. Retention isn't spectacular.

Smell of sweet caramel malt, raisins and alcohol can be detected. You really have to strain your nostrils to find it though.

Sweet malt, then bitterness, then more bitterness, then some alcohol. Nothing complex here.

Mouthfeel is fine. Hides the high abv well.

I had one of these and that was enough. For such a big beer you would like to find comparatively large flavors. Personally they just weren't there for me. It's not likely that I'll come back to this one. (570 characters)

I will give this a higher rating because I can see why people like it. It does have a depth of flavor and is somewhat unique. However, I did not care for it as it was to bitter for me. (184 characters)

Aroma-sinuses are suffering, but I detect some alcohol, caramel and a sweet candy smell.

Mouthfeel-medium carbonation delivers a sweet alcohol infused coating to the palate. Not bad, strong, but for me it is succeeding in balancing the two dominant flavor profiles; alcohol and sweetness. Alcohol is present but not too hot. Sweetness is heavy but it gets cut back by a bitter finish that is a touch metallic. Different, but I am not put off by this ale being a high gravity-sweet-malt bomb. A froth on the palate intensifies the brown shugga' flavor profile.

Truth be told it is tasting like an American style Barleywine minus some hops and maybe a different yeast strain. I love Lagunitas' brewing style, but I can't see drinking more than one of these at a time. Winter warmer? Yep. Campfire beer? Yep. Definitely worth a try to drink something different. (961 characters)

Crystal clear amber hue that has a slightly red tint when held up to the light. A frothy one finger head slowly settles toa thin cap leaving behind a wall of stringy lacing.

The main scent in this one is a thin caramel aroma, or more accurately, brown sugar. The hop aroma is barely detectable, as well as the alcohol.

Overall the flavor of this one is somewhat bitter, with maybe a little bit of a sweet sugary start. A touch of caramel is in there, along with some spicy hops. Full bodied with a good amount of carbonation. The finish is some of the brown sugar and lingering bitterness.

I found this one middle of the road, unique, but not worth getting excited about. It tastes a lot like a mild Scottish Ale, with a little more alcohol. Recommended (barely, and if you like maltier beers). (823 characters)

Heard the hype; grabbed a bottle at Whole Foods. Expectations are high; I like this brewery and some knowledgeable beer folk seem to dig this brew. 9.9% according to my bottle; I don't see 9.99% as currently listed on the site. 51.1 IBU. O.G. 1.100. I always like their labels; they're entertaining and well laid out. So that's a plus on presentation. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live.

Served straight from the fridge and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a plump five finger khaki colour head of beautiful smooth rolling frothy cream, good thickness, and great retention. Body colour is a rich vibrant copper with an amber hue. Transparent and translucent. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. I'd estimate the retention time at about five minutes. Really looking good so far. A gorgeous brew. I'm very impressed at the retention at this high an ABV. You'd think it was maybe 5% off the retention alone.

Sm: Brown sugar, certainly - but not to the extent I expected. It's actually somewhat understated. Floral hops, toasty caramelized malts, caramel, and biscuit malt. Even a hint of toffee. Slightly musty. A mild strength aroma. It's not real bold or expressive, but I'm excited to try it. Besides, there's a respectability to an understated mellow aroma. I don't detect any yeast or boozy alcohol.

T: Heavy on the brown sugar, indeed. I'm going to have to adjust to its assertive flavour. I do get floral hops - which seem to complement the flavour profile nicely. The sugar mellows on the climax, which is probably my favourite aspect of the brew. Caramel. Some toasty malts. No alcohol or yeast comes through. I do get some biting hop bitterness, especially in the second act. Feels too preserved and over-hopped. The floral hops swallow up the sugary flavour, making it lopsided. It's certainly full bodied. Too bitter on the finish, a stark contrast to the sugary character that precedes it. I find it imbalanced, and it's not getting much better as it warms.

In the final sip, I got a wonderful brown sugar sweetness, and even a hint of ginger spice. I wish the whole beer tasted like that.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with a rounded malty crispness that I really dig. I've noticed this characteristic in many Lagunitas brews; it's inflated and smooth, aiding the drinkability. Somewhat chewy. Good carbonation and thickness. A scratchy hop coarseness emerges on the climax; it's an annoyance. Independent of the frustrating flavours, the mouthfeel is for the most part well executed.

Dr: Drinkable, especially for the ABV, but it falls short of my expectations given what people have said about it. I'd certainly try it on draught, but I think it needs time for the hops to mellow out a bit and for the malts to take the forefront - along with the shockingly understated brown sugar. Needs serious aging. It's tasty but a bit misguided. I'll have to revisit this one, but I'm unimpressed with it currently - and it shouldn't be my job to age it. Well-priced for the quality, and I'm sure most drinkers will be satisfied with it. I find its key flaws (major bitterness in the second half caused by overhopping, and a lack of presence of the titular brown sugar) prevent me from really liking it. That said, it's pretty impressive how little the alcohol comes through.

C+

It does get better as it warms. Be sure to let her rest after you take her out of the fridge.

---12.20.14: Truncated impressions.

Pours a healthy 7 finger wide head of off-white colour. Retains superbly for its high ABV.

Body colour is a translucent copper.

Aromatics are primarily hoppy, with a pale malt backbone and no traces of obvious brown sugar. Balanced in terms of bitterness/sweetness. The hop profile is attractive.

It's drinkable - highly so - for the ABV, but the alcohol isn't unnoticeable. I quite like it - and it's better than I remember, but it remains far from world-class. Worth trying, sure. But not excellent.

golden-amber with some decent lacing up top. the head is not huge but persistent. well carbonated

floral hop aromas with a touch of citrus. the malt does sneak in, but it's mostly vegetal. sweet tasting, with a considerable hop character, despite only 51 IBUs. it could use some ageing, as the booze seems a little harsh. the complexity can't compare with hibernation or nosferatu (or even arrogant bastard) and it's surprisingly dry. i suppose that's the reuslt of cane sugar

this is gold to some, but i'm not sure i fit in that category. i'll stick it in the cellar (630 characters)

Pours a clear dark copper with a light khaki head. Aroma primarily consists of caramel, malt and brown sugar. The mouthfeel is medium in body. This was a lot hoppier than I was expecting from a beer made with raw sugar. It's not really that sweet at all. Piney, floral hoppiness is in the forefront of the flavor profile. The maltiness leaves a somewhat sticky mouthfeel. The hops impart a drying finish toward the back. Alchohol is hardly noticeable.

I'm a little underwhelmed after trying this one. I guess i was expecting something a little sweeter under the guise of a brown ale made with raw (brown)sugar. This one disappoints. (636 characters)

Bitter hop flavors with tons of citrus and zest on the tongue. Followed by strong alcohol notes. Slight caramel malty sweetness to it. Leaves a dry, bready aftertaste with hints of alcohol. Pretty low alcohol burn despite the amount I can taste.

Medium body, decent carbonation. Feels creamy and goes down smooth.

Decent strong ale, but I didn't find much brown sugar in it. Bit too hoppy in terms of balance, and unfortunately was able to taste quite a bit of alcohol (though it's not that bad). (709 characters)

Taste: Very hoppy with grapefruit, orange and pine. There is a caramel- and toffee-like malt backbone and a nice layer of sweetness. Ends somewhat bitter and balanced, but the sticky sweetness is cloying and distracting.

Feel: Surprisingly light, effervescent body for the high abv - must be due to the brown sugar. Only somewhat dry finish and more boozy than warming